Chichijima

Chichijima is a subtropical island in the Ogasawara archipelago of Japan, located about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean. The coastline alternates between sheltered bays with pale sand and rugged promontories of volcanic rock, while the interior is covered with dense forest.

A mixed group of settlers from Hawaii arrived here in 1830 and established the first permanent community. After World War II, the island remained under US administration until 1968, when it was returned to Japan.

The Japanese name translates literally as "Father Island," a reference to its traditional role as the main settlement in the Bonin chain. Many older buildings near the port still show a mixture of Western and Japanese architectural styles from early settlement days.

A boat from Tokyo takes about a day to reach the island and docks at Futami Port, where accommodations and information centers are located. Most visitors explore the island on foot or by rented bicycle, as roads run only along the coast.

The waters around the island are home to green sea turtles, often spotted while snorkeling in shallow bays. Some forests contain endemic plant species found nowhere else on Earth.